“Factually untrue! That’s about one-eighth the width of a single human Red Blood Cell (RBC).”
I’m guessing that’s the minimum width and not the average. It does make sense that it could form that small, since we are just talking about a glass made up of silicon molecules, while a red blood cell is a biological construct made up of much larger and complex molecules.
About 99% (by mass) of "Pele's Hair" has the approx. consistency and appearance of human hair (though it is much more brittle). That some miniscule proportion - probably consisting of segments less than 1 mm long - could have a width approaching the 1 micron mentioned in the article is plausible. But to flatly assert - as the article does - that "Pele's Hair" has a width of 1 micron is a gross misstatement and very misleading. RATHER, the figure of "1 micron" should have been characterized as an extreme lower limit.
My reference to RBCs was for size-comparison purposes, only.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am not a geophysicist, nor a volcanologist, nor do I portray one on t.v.
Regards,